The magazine of the ROYAL ACADEMY OF DANCE

DANCE
2014

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2 0 1 4 I S S U E

I SSU E

GAZETTE

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Parents take class with their children

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MEET
THE
PARENTS
Game for a go parents join
a Step into Dance rehearsal
Photo: Kate Peters

Do parents truly appreciate how much effort their

children (and teachers) give to dance? Sanjoy Roy and
Emma Beddington visit RAD classes in London and Belgium
to watch parents trying their childrens moves.

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Its not just dance,

its about their whole life

Generation games

Sanjoy Roy joins the RADs Step into Dance

companies in London.

Very motivated
Step into Dance
company dancers
and their parents
Photos: Kate Peters
for Dance Gazette

our teenagers, busting with vitality,

freshness, hormones and well, whatever
else teenagers bust with sit in a row on
the floor. Each one faces a parent three
mums and one dad who are not so much
busting as sitting on chairs, from which
they scrutinise their offspring. It looks like the line-up of
some tv game show (the Intergeneration Game, perhaps),
or maybe that awkward moment at the start of a group
therapy session. But then a groovy soundtrack flicks on,
triggering the kids into a funky little routine of nonchalant
shoulder-brushes, risqu bum-wiggles and cool chest
thumps that also, rather sweetly, suggest the pitter-patter
of their beating hearts. And the parents? The parents do
the same as their kids. Only a bit scrappily, a bit behind the
beat, and with a bit more wobble than wiggle. But their
hearts, too, are in it.
What started out looking like a face-off between the
generations is a quick dance class that parents have been
invited to join. The teenagers are from the RADs Step
into Dance youth companies (one each for contemporary,
street dance and musical theatre), and theyre here at RAD
headquarters preparing for their end of year performance
at Londons prestigious Sadlers Wells Theatre.
Today is the last rehearsal before their big show, and
artistic director Sue Goodman a powerhouse of positivity

and formidable multi-tasker who is sewing costumes

and giving peppy but no-nonsense rehearsal notes has
arranged for some of the parents to learn the clap-happy
flash mob routine from the end of the show. Students do
it from the stage and parents, if they want to join in, from
their seats. Has this brief dance session, I ask, helped them
appreciate the amount of skill and hard work that dance
training demands from their children, even for an easy
routine like this?
Wrong question. Or rather: it misses the mark. On
the one hand, what they have just appreciated is not the
difficulty involved, but the fun. Siobhan Gibbs, who has just
been out-manoeuvred by the classy dancing of her 14-yearold daughter Oonagh, is panting with pleasure. Why
cant I do this? she laughs as she tries some tutting, a kind
of hip-hop hand-jive. Back in the day she smiles at the
memory Im sure I would have just got it But now, her
fingers flap and her timings off. But shes still game for a go.
On the other hand, all the parents already know
how much hard work, skill and commitment it takes.
Every Sunday, their children travel from all over London
to rehearsals, and the attendance rules are strict: no
bunking off, ever. They know how many hours of training
their kids put in, they see them come back dog-tired, and
that they skip Saturday night social life just so that they
can be fresh for Sunday every Sunday. Maybe they dont

appreciate the technical details of the training how to

balance that spin, work that joint, co-ordinate that jump
but hey, theyre parents, not dance teachers. Theyre
more interested in the bigger picture: the part dance
plays within the life of their child.
Elaine Howard, whose daughter Katie, 15, has been
at Step into Dance for four years, thinks that it has really
helped Katies confidence to be with this mixed group
of people. The atmosphere is really positive. Sometimes
with girls at school you see jealousy and competition and
so on, but theyre not like that here. They really support
each other.
It helps them in lots of ways, agrees Michaela Day,
mother of 15-year-old Lucas. Its not just about dancing, its
about their whole life. Lucas makes decisions differently
because he wants to do the best he can here, and I think that
attitude follows him elsewhere. It helps in self-confidence,
self-organisation, self-motivation. Its not just a dance class.
Likewise, Adrian Hall, father of 12-year-old Lakaya,
is happy to take his daughter to dance, partly because it
really helps her schoolwork. Lakaya knows that if she
wants to go to dance on Sunday, she has to finish all her
homework by Saturday. And she does, every week. She is
very motivated.
Its an education too, adds Michaela. Coming to
dance here definitely broadens their horizons.

And theyre so fit! says Elaine.

Between rehearsals I check in with the students.
Theyre focused on dancing, but also very aware of the
broader benefits their parents see. You learn to feel
comfortable around lots of different people, says Lucas.
I think dance is good for schoolwork too. Yes, it can tire
you out, but it also takes you outside school life so you
come back to it fresh.
And it really does build your confidence, agrees
Katie. As for missing parties, well, we make lots of friends
here too. And anyway, I prefer dance, definitely!
I think my parents totally get what were doing here,
says 16-year-old Ronnie Jellye, and adds, with a unforced
instinct for theatre, and they also know that without
dance I would just die.
Ive looked for conflict between the generations, but
in truth, I havent found any. Yes the parents are not so
focused on the dance training itself, while it is a very big
deal for their children. So what? Those are student-teacher
issues. The parents are interested in other questions: are
their children thriving, and are they happy? And that,
it seems to me, is just how it should be.

Step into Dance is a partnership project between the

Jack Petchey Foundation and RAD. stepintodance.org

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A way of life

Emma Beddington joins an RAD ballet class in Belgium.

I just feel so proud of my daughter

hat really goes on behind the

closed doors of dance classes?
Parents are rarely welcome
and Edwina Verdinghs
classes are no exception. It
changes everything when
parents watch, says Edwina, a tiny blonde ball of energy
improbably embarking on her 25th year teaching ballet
in Hasselt, near the Belgian-Dutch border. Children react
very differently. Very occasionally they can observe to
help with exam preparation for example but her rules
are strict: I tell them dont speak, dont point, and when
they get it wrong dont correct them!
But if parents never see for themselves the effort and
commitment that their children (and teachers) put in, can
they understand what a passion for dance really involves?
Edwina has invited the parents of some longstanding
pupils to be flies, not on the wall, but at the barre, in the
hope that it will give them new insight. Theyre really
interested in what we do, but I think theyre very nervous!
she says, with a faintly sadistic twinkle.
Gradually, pairs of mothers and daughters
disappointingly, no fathers feel compelled to attempt
this challenge file into the studio. The girls, ranging
in age from 10-year-old Sien to 26-year-old Tammy,
kick off with stretches. They are neat, confident and
self-possessed whilst their mothers, from late 20s to
mid-40s in a motley assortment of workout gear, look

understandably apprehensive. Marina is a picture of

concentration, following daughter Tammys lead, whilst
Greet, Marilyn, Olga, Rina and Hilda share a grimace as
they warm up under the gently mocking scrutiny of their
girls. Photographer Tanja, whose daughter also dances
with Edwina, joins in too. Hilda and Marina danced as
children (so many years ago! laughs Marina); the others
are total beginners.
After a playful, high tempo warm up a sort of
ballet musical statues the work starts in earnest,
with postural and body conditioning exercises. The
group stand with feet parallel, then in first position, as
Edwina adjusts thighs, pulls in recalcitrant stomachs
and straightens ankles. Your posture is looking better
already! she says, encouragingly. Next, the girls

Knees up...
Edwina Verdinghs
class in Hasselt
Photos: Tanja Willekens

manoeuvre Swiss balls along the floor, hips raised in a

perfect, rigid plank. When the mothers turn comes, it
becomes clear how effortless the pupils have made this
near-impossible exercise look. This is basic conditioning
training, admonishes Edwina as Swiss balls escape in all
directions, to a chorus of groans.
Its time for some real dance: Edwina demonstrates
a short sequence of steps and jumps. The class goes
through the tiny routine in groups, mothers taking the lead
from their perfectly assured, foot-perfect daughters. Knees
up! Relax your shoulders! says Edwina, bustling round to
correct drooping limbs. Just as things are falling into place,
she spins around with a wicked grin: Now change legs
the same thing on the other side. After a few attempts,
everyone masters it and theres a happy smattering of
spontaneous applause.
After a series of leaps and grands jets accomplished
beautifully by the girls and with varying degrees of grace,
success and lumbar pain by the mothers its time for the
climax of the class: pirouettes. Normally, you have to start
young with pirouettes, says Edwina, deadpan, watching as
one mother wobbles off dangerously into her equally dizzy
neighbour. Or the balance is tricky.
Finally (the relief is palpable), its time for the cool
down stretches, to the accompaniment of a soundtrack
of cracks from protesting adult joints. Afterwards, I ask
the perspiring parents whether the class was how they
expected. Harder, is the consensus. Terrible! exclaims

Greet, laughing. Ive discovered muscles I didnt know

I had, adds Marilyn. Its the coordination: remembering
the steps, keeping your hands and feet in the right position
and then Edwina would say remember your core, says
Rina, shaking her head.
Theres also a sense of mild awe at their daughters,
for whom all this is second nature. I feel so much respect
for them. We drop them off here for an hour or two hours
we dont understand how hard they work, says one,
to a murmur of assent. They have such discipline, says
Marina, admiringly. Im a teacher and none of my pupils
have such concentration. Tanja agrees: I just feel so
proud of my daughter.
Did they, I wonder, discover another side of their
children this morning? Teenagers get such a bad rap,
but these girls show humbling rigour and application.
The mothers seem bemused by my question: dance,
they explain, informs every part of their daughters lives
and the discipline they demonstrated in class is just as
present at home.
When they started classes, says Hilda, patting
daughter Annas knee affectionately, Edwina said ballet
isnt a hobby, its a way of life. Now I see that in everything,
Annas schoolwork, even the way she holds her pen.
Everyone agrees: there really is a ballet attitude and
now they and their protesting hamstrings have a better
idea of just what it takes to acquire it.

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The parent trap

How do teachers engage their students parents?

Helen Linkenbagh has five top tips.
The Step into Dance
companies in rehearsal
Photos: Kate Peters for
Dance Gazette

Are you...

Work at building open, positive

relationships with parents, carers
and families. Knowing parents
names and understanding a little
about a family situation even
simple details like arrangements
for drop-off and collection from
class can go a long way toward
supporting your students and
fostering positive relationships
with the families that support
your business.

Open, honest and transparent

communication is key. Parents and
carers need to know about dayto-day operations timetables,
uniform, fees and class etiquette
but a little extra work at being
openly communicative about
your expectations in terms of
behaviour, future pathways and
further opportunities as students
learn and grow will ensure that
parents know their child is in
good hands.

Create opportunities to include

parents and carers in dance
activities. Make the great
work you do in the studio visible;
simple events such as parent
observation days and in-house
presentations, or a regular
feature about a particular groups
progress in your newsletter will
allow parents to see your good
work and know that their child is
happily engaged in dance.

Breach the studio walls once in a

while! Many children and parents
love to participate in community
events, fundraising or charitable
activities. A simple performance or
class display at a local care home,
school or village fte will bring
children and families together
with the community, letting all
involved understand the value of
the dance activities you offer.

If issues and problems with

parents do arise, give the problem
some head space. Sleep on the
issue, then seek to discuss it
calmly, at an appropriate time and
place. Be understanding, caring
and supportive: listen, then offer
your view and seek a mutual
solution. Keep your personal
and professional poise, and be
prepared to let the student go if
the situation is likely to affect your
business or the other children and
families in your school.

a teacher or parent with

experience of this issue?
Whats the best way to
involve parents in classes?
We would love to hear your
views and stories.
gazette@rad.org.uk

Helen Linkenbagh isLecturer in Dance Studies in the RAD Faculty of Education.